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SF question: articificial supernova
A frivolous question for the Dog Days...
Assuming unlimited resources - the Milky Way has been renamed the American Way, the light barrier has been broken, etc. etc. Would it be possible to eliminate an insurgent star system by aiming a stream of iron and heaver metal fragments, old mag wheels, dead nickel batteries whatever, at its sun? Could it quickly implode and go supernova under the strain of the unnatural mass? How much mass would it take if it was a young star like our Sun? |
#2
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SF question: articificial supernova
Dear Axel Harvey:
"Axel Harvey" wrote in message oups.com... A frivolous question for the Dog Days... Assuming unlimited resources - the Milky Way has been renamed the American Way, Aw, come on... the light barrier has been broken, etc. etc. Would it be possible to eliminate an insurgent star system by aiming a stream of iron and heaver metal fragments, old mag wheels, dead nickel batteries whatever, at its sun? How many adjacent star systems did you want to kill? Could it quickly implode and go supernova under the strain of the unnatural mass? How much mass would it take if it was a young star like our Sun? Enough that sending in that much mass would simply destroy that entire solar system long before its sun had enough to supernova with. If it were ~1 solar masses, you'd need to dump in about 0.4 solar masses of matter. Most of that, heavy stuff (aluminum or heavier). Ever read "Footfall"? Just drop a rock on them, or a series of smaller ones, and let "nuclear winter" end them. But if they got to this rogue planet, they can get off again, especially if they see large masses of stuff entering their solar system. David A. Smith |
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SF question: articificial supernova
Milky Way changed to "American Way"? Heck, most Americans would probably think that you are talking about the candy bar not our Galaxy and they wouldn't even know about the Milky Way because they have never seen it! |
#4
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SF question: articificial supernova
The entire proposal is a typical human atrocity.
wrote in message oups.com... Milky Way changed to "American Way"? Heck, most Americans would probably think that you are talking about the candy bar not our Galaxy and they wouldn't even know about the Milky Way because they have never seen it! |
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SF question: articificial supernova
I recomend a month in solitary for suggesting it. With reading material
about the sanctity of life and the beauty of nature. wrote in message oups.com... Milky Way changed to "American Way"? Heck, most Americans would probably think that you are talking about the candy bar not our Galaxy and they wouldn't even know about the Milky Way because they have never seen it! |
#6
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SF question: articificial supernova
The Real Chris wrote:
I recomend a month in solitary for suggesting it. With reading material about the sanctity of life and the beauty of nature. A month in solitary with pious literature would only turn me into a raving lunatic - when I got out I'd be fit to run for office. |
#7
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SF question: articificial supernova
Dear The Real Chris:
The Real Chris wrote: I recomend a month in solitary for suggesting it. With reading material about the sanctity of life and the beauty of nature. You obviously never read the bible. And wasn't it you that has been posting "doom and gloom" on alt.global-warming? What you suggest is also pretty bleak... Or are those pants for someone else? David A. Smith |
#8
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SF question: articificial supernova
In article .com,
"Axel Harvey" writes: Would it be possible to eliminate an insurgent star system by aiming a stream of iron and heaver metal fragments, old mag wheels, dead nickel batteries whatever, at its sun? Could it quickly implode and go supernova To cause a supernova, you need more than 1.4 solar masses of material in a degenerate stellar core. (For a white dwarf, the "core" includes the entire star; the key is that the core be degenerate.) If you can fling around major fractions of a stellar mass, why not just knock the planets out of their orbits? Maybe into the star, if you want to give the inhabitants a quick death. -- Steve Willner Phone 617-495-7123 Cambridge, MA 02138 USA (Please email your reply if you want to be sure I see it; include a valid Reply-To address to receive an acknowledgement. Commercial email may be sent to your ISP.) |
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